End of the Penny Post

The increased costs of the First World War led the government to explore new means of raising monies; an increase on the postal rate was one option. The abandonment of the penny postage saw the end of 75 years of continued penny post that had begun with the Penny Black. The increase in the letter rate to 1½ pence finally came in June 1915, after the maximum weight limit for the penny rate had been reduced from two ounces to one ounce earlier that year.